FAQs

For all exams, other than screening mammograms, yes. An authorized healthcare provider must order all of our examinations, and we cannot perform a study without a copy of that order. Why? Having the order in hand not only insures that we know what your healthcare provider wants done – and why – but also allows us to communicate important information back to his/her office, so that you can get the appropriate care. This is also an insurance  requirement. You may bring the order with you, or your doctor’s office may fax it to our scheduling department. If we receive the order in our office BEFORE your exam, we can investigate special circumstances or check with your provider then, saving time on the day of your appointment.

Screening mammograms may be scheduled without a doctor’s order. If you do not have a provider, we will help you find one so that you may receive follow-up care after your mammogram. If you have any symptoms at all, such as pain, lumps, nipple discharge or changes to breast tissue or appearance, please see a doctor to obtain a diagnostic mammogram order before scheduling an appointment.

We try to meet individual needs, and will do our best to accommodate specific appointment date and time requests. We also do everything within our means to accommodate same-day “STAT” procedures. To make an appointment, please call (505) 983-9350 or visit us in person. Alternately, your referring provider may assist you with scheduling your imaging appointment.

YES, for some exams only.

• All plain film X-rays are walk-in. Patients are taken on a first-come-first- served basis Mon-Thurs from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 PM.
• We also welcome walk-ins for routine screening mammograms. Walk-in patients can expect a short wait while we complete registration and scheduling steps before being fit into the exam schedule. IMPORTANT NOTE: any mammograms where pain, lumps, or other known issues are involved must be scheduled; these cannot be performed on a walk-in basis.
• All other exams should be scheduled in advance, since they may require specific preparation.

SFI Radiologists will transmit their interpretation of the study images to the referring physician within 24 – 48 hours. Results of your studies and what effect those results have on your health care treatment must be discussed with your referring medical provider after he/she has received the Radiologist’s report. Although they cannot discuss results, however, our SFI staff can answer routine questions about your study as it is given. So I f you have concerns or issues during the exam please let us know. Your input and feedback are always important to us.

Before Santa Fe Imaging can provide any imaging services, you must have an order from an authorized healthcare provider. We can make an appointment with you over the telephone before you actually present the order to us, but the order must be available for you to examine and read back to us in answer to questions from our schedulers.

To insure that you are scheduled for the correct study, as well as to protect the privacy of your medical information and prevent the unauthorized use of your medical identity or insurance, we also ask for your help in providing the following information:

• When scheduling, please have these documents available:
• The order from your healthcare provider for the imaging study you are scheduling
• If you will be submitting charges to your insurance provider, documentation showing your policy numbers and a contact number for the insurance company (so that we can get information in advance that lets you know what co-pays or deductibles will apply)
• When scheduling in person, a photo ID to identify yourself as the individual for whom the order was written

To request medical records, we will need you to:

• • Complete an authorization for release of the records, and
  • Provide a photo ID to verify that you are authorized to receive the records.